1. Field of the Invention
The carbonylation of ammonia or amines to prepare formamides is known. In the currently employed process to prepare formamides, ammonia and carbon monoxide are reacted at temperatures of 80.degree. to 100.degree. C. and at pressures of 100 to 300 atmospheres in the presence of methanolic sodium methoxide. Similarly, to prepare dimethyl formamides, dimethylamine and carbon monoxide are reacted at temperatures of 110.degree. to 150.degree. C. and at pressures of 15 to 25 bar in the presence of sodium methylate or metal carbonyls. However, efforts to react ammonia and carbon monoxide directly under conditions of high pressure and high temperature were not successful: severe technical problems were encountered and only low yields of formamide were obtained.
The present process is directed to a process for preparing formylalkanolamines which are a particular class of formamides, namely, hydroxyalkylformamides. Attempts to employ conventional methanolic sodium methoxide catalyst technology to carbonylate alkanolamines have proven to be unsatisfactory. With an alkanolamine as the reactant, the equilibrium point of the carbonylation reaction process is shifted away from product formation, making it difficult or impossible to get a useful yield of formylalkanolamine.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel process for the preparation of a specific class of formylalkanolamines.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for extracting carbon monoxide from an impure gas stream containing the same.
2. Disclosure Statement
Kirk-Othmer, The Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (Third Edition, Vol. 11) at pages 259 and 264 to 265 discloses carbonylation reactions with ammonia and amines wherein ammonia or an amine are reacted with carbon monoxide in the presence of a solvent containing a basic catalyst, for example, sodium methoxide in methanol, at temperatures ranging from 80.degree. to 200.degree. C. and at pressures ranging from 400 to 1500 psig to produce the corresponding formamide or dimethylformamide.
An article in Chemical Abstracts (47:9724-5) discloses the absorption of carbon monoxide by a solution containing cuprous monoethanolamine complex.